Doll



Feb' 23, 1950 R. HAussER ET AL 2,925,684

DoLL

Filed Sept. 24, 1956 DOLL Rolf Hausser, Neustadt, near Coburg, and Max Weissbrodt, Coburg, Bavaria, Germany, assignors to Greiner & Hausser G.m.b.H., Neustadt near Coburg, Germany Application September 24, 1956, Serial No. 611,569

Claims priority, application Germany September 27, 1955 4 Claims. (Cl. 46-173) f formity with natural posture is evident when the doll is seated in that the legs are spread wide apart.

It is an object of the invention to provide a doll With articulation means for the legs in such a manner, that they will be moved to simulate a walking human being, in the walking direction either backward or forward.

According to the invention the problem is solved in that guiding surfaces are provided in the joints on the body and on each leg in a parallel relationship to the longit'udinal axis of the body and which controls the swinging movements. Thereby it is preferable to provide the axis of each joint vertically to the plane through the longitudinal axis of the body. It s of particular advantage that either opposite joint is mounted coaxially and the common axis of either joint lies vertically relative to the longitudinal middle plane of the body.

By this embodiment it is possible to swing either leg to opposite sides of the body forward to backward and back again, that is to produce a leg movement Simulating human walking movements. Thus the joint parts, one of which is attached on the body and the other on the leg, produce a guiding control as to the movement on their guiding surfaces. The guiding surface of each leg is situated nearly in its longitudinal middle plane so that a sliding surface adjoins the inner side of the leg. The sliding surface coacts with a cup portion extending from the joint-guiding surface of the body approximately to the mid part. Thus the leg movement will be additionally guided not only on the joint-guiding surfaces as referred to but also on the bottom end of the body and on the attached sliding parts of the legs. Also the structure has the advantage that the body as well Vas the legs can be made by casting such as by die casting and pressure casting.

It is an object of the invention not to form the upper thigh as a part of the body and thus the joint guiding surfaces are created.

Another object of the invention resides n the joint parts being so positioned to permit adjustment so that they will not move back except when desired, and which is accornplished in that each joint part is made of a plastic material with a different co-efficient of friction. It is possible, for instance, to make the body'of rigid and smooth plastic material, for example, Celluloid and the legs, or at least the joint part, is made of a soft elastic plastic material, for instance, a Synthetic plastic material having rubber-like properties. The friction between the joint surfaces may be so high that the legs cannot leave the adjusted position Without positive movement.

To make at least a joint part, for instance, the joint head of the legs, of a soft and elastic plastic material,

States Patent O produces the further possibility of providing a resilient projection on this joint, which can be equipped with an enlargement shaped like a button or a cup and which is forced through a narrow hole of the other joint part, due to its elasticity, onto the body and then retains its original shape in the interior thereof to engage behind the adjoining wall of the joint surface. This results in a particular simple securing of the joint parts.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated diagrammatically by way of example in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the doll body with the two hinged legs,

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l but with one leg removed,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one leg,

Fig. 4 is a cross section through the two joints, and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a detail.

The body a of the doll has two guiding surfaces bl and bz, against which the legs cl and C2 abut with their guiding surfaces dl and dz.

In the illustrated embodiment the surfaces b and d are nearly parallel to the longitudinal axis x of the body as indicated in Fig. 1 in the drawing by a dot and dash line. Advantageously, although not absolutely necessary, I the development is such that either joint axis el or ez coincide, so that thus both the jo'ints are arranged coaxially.

As best seen in Fig. 3 each leg has a sliding surface l and 2 respectively located at the top of the inner part of the leg. This surface rests against the adjacent cent joint-guiding surfaces bl and bz of the body up to the middle thereof.

It is possible to use any suitable joint designas to the fixing of the joint parts against one another. For instance, as shown in Fig. 1 by dotted lines, each leg cl and C2 can be provided with a cap h preferably spherical in shape, which projects in a corresponding hole of the guiding surface bl and b2, whereby a resilient string h', for instance of rubber, connects both the capsh together in the interior of the body.

The joint-guiding surfaces according to the invention as well as the surfaces b and d and the surfaces and g, result in an area with a large surface for the joint parts, so that they may be moved relative to one another in a reciprocating or walking manner. Either coacting guiding surface has advantageously a higher co-efficient of friction than the counter surface, thereby the advantage will be obtained that the legs, not as in the case with smooth joint surfaces, will not leave the adjusted position, but maintains this position owing to the increased friction between the joint surfaces. This is important as well for toy dolls, as for other purposes, for instance, decorative puppets, mascots for motor cars, dolls for publicity etc.

The joint part, for instance, the joint head of the leg is made of soft elastic plastic material, for example, i

Synthetic plastic material with a rubber like property as polyvinylchloride or the like, it being possible to form a securing member i thereon, which has an enlarged head k spaced a distance from the guide surface d and, as shown in the example illustrated, is shaped similar to a cup as a frusto-conical member. When this member is compressed somewhat, it can be forced through the narrow hole l of the wall forming the guide surface b. It then assumes its original shape as in the illustrated position of use and thus holds not only the leg in place but it is at any time removable on the body of the doll with increased specific joint friction to thus secure the leg in the adjusted position.

If the cup-shaped fixing member z' of soft resilient plastic material is fianged on its rim, as shown in Fig. 4 on the left side by dotted lines, it is achieved, that such rim part m rests on the inner side against the wall of the body a to become effective as a friction member. Thus the joint parts are secured and maintained in position in any adjusted pose.

As a further development of the inventon, it is possible to form the fixing member i according to Fig. 5, as a cup-shaped member on the two sides, by having two coaxial cups arranged in a certain manner. In this situation either joint part as illustrated has the body a and the head piece of the leg C1 and C2 respectively provided with a hole, so that the fixing member. z' engages With the one cup in the hole of the joint part and with its other cup the hole of the counter joint part. Thereby it is thus possible to make the one or the other joint part of elastic or rigid plastic material.

What we claim is:

1. A doll comprising a body portion With a pair of flat ontwardly-facing side surfaces at the lower portion thereof each in a plane substantially parallel to the vertical axis of the doll, and a pair of legs each provided with a plane surface substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of its leg, means on the plane surfaces pivotally supporting said legs on the body portion with the plane surfaces in rotary engagement with each other, and cooperating sliding surfaces on each leg and adjacent body portion extending inwardly from the plane surfaces at an angle to the longitudinal axis and away from the pivotal supporting means, said cooperating sliding surfaces being Curved about the pivotal axis of the leg and being in cooperative contact during the Walking movement of the legs.

2. A doll comprising a body portion with a pair of fiat outwardly-facing side surfaces at the lower portion thereof each in a plane parallel to the Vertical axis of the doll, a pair of legs each provided with a plane surface parallel to the longitudinal axis of its leg, means on the plane surfaces pivotally supporting said legs on the bodyvportion with the plane surfaces in rotary engagement with each other, and cooperating sliding surfaces on each leg and adjacent body portion extending at an angle from the lower portions of the plane surfaces towards each other, said cooperating surfaces permitting the legs to swing around their pivots to simulate a human walking by the leg movements following a normal walking direction of the doll, the pivotal means being in the form of a flexible frusto-conical member on one plane surface and extending into an opening in the other plane surface and acting as a pivot pin for the respective leg.V

3. A doll comprising a body portion having an outwardly facing surface at each side of the lower portion thereof, each surface being in a plane substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the doll and a further surface sloping downwardly and inwardly toward the axis from the lower end of the plane surface, a pair of legs each having its upper end portion depressed to form an inwardly facing planar surface parallel to the longitudinal axis of the leg with a further surface sloping downwardly from the lower end of the plane surface and 'inwardly toward the axis of the doll body at the same angle as and complernentary to the further respective surface on the body porton and pivot means having an axis passing through the plane surfaces for supporting the legs on the body portion with the respective planar and sloping surfaces in cooperative sliding engagement with eachV other.

4. A doll in accordance with claim 3 in which the sloping surfaces of the legs and body portiou are curved about the pivot axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,l5,5,135 Dice Sept. 28, 1915 l,293,056 Dun Leny Feb. 14, 19'19 l,702,208 GlOWa Feb. 12, 1929 1,8925604 Paganello Dec. 27, 1932 1,897,914` Schaeffer Feb. l4, 1933 2,271,7ll Pallett Feb. 3,1942 2,756,540 Cleaver `Iuly 31, 1956 2,778,156 Zanca Jan. 22, 1957 v FOREIGN PATENTS 269,857 Great Britain Sept. 22, 1927 438,982 Great Britain Nov. 27, 1935 656,434 Great Britain Aug. 22, 1951 

